A/N Thanks for all the great reviews for the first chapter. Got a bit distracted there for a while - sorry - but here's chapter two.
One And One
Chapter Two
Holding on to her husband's hand, her gaze wandered appreciatively around the large room: it was all exactly as she'd planned and just perfect. The ceremony had been just about perfect, too. Her father had proudly walked her down the aisle of the packed church she'd attended regularly as a child, his strong and steady gait belying the tender words he had whispered to her in the car. Her father wasn't the kind of man to show his emotions so readily but he'd almost had her in tears with his 'little talk'. Already running late thanks to a missing bridesmaid, who'd eventually been found fast asleep behind the sofa and oblivious to all the fuss she'd caused, she'd added on a few minutes to that tally dabbing at her eyes before entering the church and meeting her fiance for the last time.
Chris had looked so handsome in his suit, his promise to scrub up for the day met with full marks, and he'd also looked very relieved to see her. He needn't have worried so much; she may have had a little wobble when she'd found out what he'd done to buy her engagement ring but she wanted nothing more than to be his wife. He'd nervously - and rather endearingly, she thought - stumbled over his vows but his love for her had been just as obvious in his eyes, and in his smile, as in the words he had recited. No-one had spoken up at the appropriate moment, not even Ray who she had feared just might as some sort of 'joke'. The Sergeant had surprised her with the seriousness he had applied to his Best Man duties; she'd had reservations about the stag night taking place the day before the wedding but Ray had made sure Chris was there in one piece. And then after they'd said 'I do' there'd only been the smiling faces of the people they held dearest to them from the pews as they'd made their way down the aisle together as husband and wife.
She glanced down at her free hand, at the gold band that was now nestled against the engagement ring on her finger; she was finally Mrs Skelton, with only the reception, and then the night do, standing in the way of a more intimate expression of their union. She smiled to herself at that thought; the entire morning had been a whirlwind of preparation, nerves and excitement, and it was only now, now that they were wed, that the photos had been taken and they were at the reception, that she felt she could finally slow down, could finally take a breath and relax just a little.
"I thought you were changing the seating plan?" Chris asked as he watched Alex Drake slowly make her way across the floor.
Looking up from her hand she followed Chris' worried gaze to find DI Drake walking towards one of the rectangular tables at the other end of the hall where the Guv, drink in hand, had already taken his seat. Her happy thoughts took a low hit as the Inspector neared her destination and she remembered the one dark cloud that was threatening her happy, sunny day. Their behaviour in church hadn't worried her too much; neither seemed to be particularly religious but she'd assumed that, despite everything, both of her superior officers would have enough respect for the church to contain themselves. She wasn't sure if she'd been correct about that assumption or not because they'd arrived separately and had then sat, rather poetically, on opposite sides of the church. Either way, the service had remained uninterrupted, the only 'hitch' being the one between herself and Chris. It remained to be seen if the same would be able to be said about the rest of the day.
"I did," she replied, giving Chris' hand a quick squeeze as she continued to watch the proceedings closely; there was no-one else seated at the table yet and the thought of the two of them without a referee to hand worried her further. She hadn't lied to her new husband, she really had changed the seating arrangements. Her cousin Matt and his wife were supposed to have been sitting next to the Guv and DI Drake; they were a nice enough couple but they wouldn't stop any argument that flared up and the more she thought about, the more she thought it likely that they'd join in instead. It hadn't even been a consideration before the heist but with no sign of improvement between her superior officers it seemed prudent to make the switch, in the process allowing her to make room for the two people she knew would be brave enough to step in if required to.
Her husband glanced curiously at her and she offered him a reassuring smile in response. The smile faded however as she returned her gaze to the Guv and DI Drake and found herself wondering if this really was a good idea and exactly why she had insisted upon a sit down meal; there were far too many sharp implements lying around and a food fight now seemed the least of her worries. Chris' hand squeezed hers in return, and in anticipation, as the Inspector finally reached the table. As DI Drake pulled out her chair, Shaz tried to convince herself that maybe she was underestimating them both; they'd been fine at the church, after all and they knew how important today was to her - she'd made that clear to the whole station. And it wasn't as if she'd dumped this on them at the last minute; they'd known about the seating plan for long enough. When she had tactfully reminded them, had given them the opportunity to say something before she put her plan into action because she was aware that she might be completely wrong about them and that meddling might just make things worse, they had both reacted in the same manner: as if it didn't matter to them who they sat next to. She'd been so relieved by their responses that she'd almost, sort of, believed them. But watching DI Drake coolly take her seat, opposite the Guv yet ignoring him completely, Shaz sighed quietly to herself, her brief optimism gone.
"You look absolutely beautiful, dear," a voice said lovingly.
Shaz tore her gaze from the frosty atmosphere of her superior officers and towards the warmth of her Great Aunt Elizabeth. "Thank-you," she greeted happily, and with just a tinge of relief, as she relinquished Chris' hand to lean forward and kiss the old lady on the cheek, following it up with a quick embrace. She repeated the action with Elizabeth's sister, Alice, a sense of calm slowly returning at the sight of both her aunts. Despite their appearances, and the presence of a few of the Met's finest, her aunts were actually the bravest people at the wedding. With less than a year in age between the sisters they had gone through life's travails together: through school, through work, through the three marriages they had between them, and then into retirement. 'A couple of old widows' Chris had labelled them though not unkindly; they were far more than that but Shaz hadn't bothered to enlighten him and she watched on in amusement as both of her aunts proceeded to pounce on her husband, congratulating him with more fervour than they had her.
When Chris had been satisfactorily welcomed to the family, this time officially - because it wasn't the first time they'd grabbed him and they'd managed to restrain themselves somewhat back at the church - Alice turned her attention back to Shaz. "Sorry we took so long, Sharon - Elizabeth made a wrong turn."
"And Alice read the directions wrong," Elizabeth defended, any affront to her driving skills always met with fierce indignation whether it was warranted or not. Usually it was warranted and Shaz was thankful that, like most of her guests, her aunts were going to stay overnight as the hotel was out in the countryside; driving at night, and on winding country lanes, would have only heightened the experience - and the danger.
The sisters eyed each other for a moment but the disagreement fizzled out before it could really begin. "Are they already here?" Alice asked, the gleam in the old lady's eye a familiar sight to Shaz.
Still recovering from his ordeal Chris obviously heard the question because he looked curiously at her aunts and then at herself. Rather than explain herself just yet, Shaz just smiled at him again. "They certainly are. Come on, I'll introduce you," she replied happily, taking Alice by the arm and escorting her across the hall towards the Guv and DI Drake, with Chris following her lead after a prompting elbow from Elizabeth. Even in the hubbub that was growing as the hall slowly began to fill with guests she could hear their targets bickering already.
"I'm just surprised that you couldn't find some blonde tart who was willing to throw herself at you for a day out of the cells," DI Drake sniped.
The Guv slammed his pint glass down on the table and Shaz silently grumbled her discontent as some of its contents slopped out onto the table cloth, trying not to imagine how much worse it could get. "If I wanted some bloody woman- "
"Guv, DI Drake," Shaz interrupted quickly before the Guv had the chance to elucidate and possibly turn the air blue. Both of them slowly tore their gazes away from each other and looked her way, the Inspector with a far too bright smile on her lips and the Guv wearing a strong pout. It wasn't the best of starts and she briefly wondered once more about her plans. But the alternative was to leave them to their own devices and the whole of CID knew how that would pan out - they'd had regular demonstrations.
"These are my Great Aunts: Alice and Elizabeth. They'll be sitting here with you," she persevered. She wasn't brave enough to introduce her superior officers as Gene and Alex; it seemed wrong somehow, even under the current circumstances but also a little pointless as her aunts already knew exactly who their new acquaintances were. It had been Alice and Elizabeth that she'd turned to when Chris' dodgy loan, and its fall out, had first surfaced; they were great listeners and she wasn't sure she'd have made it down the aisle without their advice. And when she'd approached her aunts for help with today they'd responded just as she'd hoped they would: with interest, with assurance and with agreement. Knowing they were fully on board had allowed her to devote her time and energy to matters other than the Guv and DI Drake, whose behaviour had showed no signs of improvement.
Both the Guv and DI Drake responded politely to the introduction, the Guv even rising from his seat to help Alice into hers. Chris followed the lead again and saw Elizabeth into her seat and Shaz's hopes rose just a little. Her plan, at its most basic level, was to prevent anything blowing up between the Guv and DI Drake in the middle of the reception and, as she'd hoped, her aunts' presence was already having an impact upon the detectives' behaviour. Not even the Guv would kick off in front of two sweet old ladies out to enjoy their niece's wedding - she hoped - and if he, or the Inspector, tried to then a few well placed words and pointed looks from her aunts would stop it going any further.
"As you're on your feet young man, be a dear and get the drinks in. Sherry for me, Elizabeth likes a vodka and tonic and the young lady will have...?" Alice turned her gaze away from the Guv and looked pointedly at DI Drake.
The Inspector smiled sweetly at Alice in response. "A glass of red," she replied, turning her head upwards slightly so she could grin further at her DCI, evidently enjoying the scene playing out in front of her, especially when the Guv - after a long moment during which time Shaz thought he was going to finish that earlier sentence - ground out a pleasant reply and duly set off in the direction of the bar.
"What a lovely man. Are you two here together?" Elizabeth asked innocently, as if she somehow hadn't heard the bickering as she'd approached. Alice finished her appreciation of a retreating Gene Hunt before leaning across the table just in time to hear the response to her sister's enquiry.
"Me and him?" DI Drake asked, laughing lightly as if it was the most absurd notion she'd ever heard but it dropped off quickly, her smile fading with it. When she spoke again, the two older women watching closely, her voice was much quieter. "No. We're... There's nothing between us."
Taking Chris' hand Shaz quietly led her husband away from the table, leaving DI Drake at the mercy of her two favourite aunts. As much as she would have loved to have been a fly on the wall next to that particular table this was her day and Alice and Elizabeth had agreed to take the problem of her superior officers out of her hands exactly so she could relax and enjoy herself. And she was going to do just that. Her aunts would be gentle with the other woman, would prise what information they could from her - and somehow from the Guv, too - because there was a second part to her plan: to get the Guv and DI Drake to speak to, rather than shout at, each other. It wasn't as vital as keeping them in line, at least as far as today was concerned, and it was infinitely more difficult but she was hoping her aunts would be able to achieve both objectives. They were certainly willing to try though Shaz had agreed to leave anything more than peace keeping to her aunts' discretion.
"Is something going on, Shazza?" Chris asked as he was dragged back across the hall to continue greeting their guests.
"Like what?" Shaz answered distractedly. Her gaze had now fallen on Ray who was stood with his top hat in one hand and one of her best friends from her school days, Karen, in his other. The two of them would be, after much pleading by Chris on Ray's behalf, seated together this afternoon. Karen had certain attributes that drew most of the male population towards her which was, she presumed, why Chris had wanted his best mate sat next to her friend rather than her aunts, who she had originally been intent on using to keep the Sergeant at bay. She'd only agreed to that particular switch because Karen had learnt to deal with that sort of attention from men over the years - and quite effectively, too - so she would certainly give Ray a run for his money.
Chris stopped dead, holding on to his wife's hand so she had to stop as well. He tugged her closer towards him, both of his hands snaking around her waist. "Like putting the Guv and DI Drake together?" he asked.
She smiled widely before leaning up and kissing Chris slowly and tenderly. "That's it exactly," she whispered against his mouth, eliciting another confused expression from her husband. She kissed him again at the sight because this was her wedding day and he was her husband but mostly because she wanted to. Pulling back before they got too carried away right there in the middle of the hall Chris grinned happily at her, his confusion and concern forgotten for the moment, and she was certain that, right then, she was the happiest woman in the whole world. And if her plans, and her aunts, worked out as she hoped, maybe she could spread some of that happiness around.